News and Notes: Early Warning Signs for the Guardians' Approach to Free Agents

News and Notes for Monday, December 2nd, 2024

The early portents of the Guardians' willingness to spend to sign a free agent pitcher and the prices if they should choose to do so aren't great.

First, Frankie Montas signed with the Mets for 2 years and $34 million with a player option for a third year. Look, that's not my money so I'm happy Montas got paid. But he had an FIP of 4.71 last season. I know the Reds raved over his leadership, but this is a number five starter. Paying $17 million a year for him seems insane to me ($6 million more in average annual value than predicted by MLB Trade Rumors), and doesn't bode well for starting pitcher prices this offseason. The good news is that it fills one role on the Mets that they could have put a better starter in.

The gut punch is the news that Matthew Boyd signed with the Cubs for 2 years and $29 million. This was one many of us were vainly hoping would go our way, after Boyd's great experience in Cleveland and Antonetti talking about wanting him to stay in Cleveland a long time at the GM meetings in November. The fact that we know the team liked him and we know he fit very well here makes this a tough pill to swallow for me. I think it indicates that the Guardians have at most $20 million to spend this offseason due to the Dolans being afraid to put a little more money on the table to try to increase the odds of a team that made the ALCS in 2024 making a deeper run in 2025. But, I guess we will see.

Hey, Boyd pitched kind of like an older Justin Steele so maybe this is just setting up Cleveland getting Steele in a trade! Turn on the delusion filters, everyone!

At least there is baseball news to discuss! Hopefully there will be more today.